Bags and bags of leafy gold :D

[dilettante]

I got my brother to give me a hand clearing and bagging all the leaves that have fallen on our street around our house. I have ten bags of leaves! Very exciting. I've been eyeing up a small park area round the corner too, as it is covered in them.

I just saw one of my neighbours across the road sweeping leaves as well. She usually, as far as I remember, only does outside her house and up and down a bit, but today she's on our side of the street. Maybe she just thinks I did a crappy job - which I did, because I wasn't cleaning the streets, just bagging the easy ones - but maybe she wants leaves too? I'm going to have to watch and see what she does with them all now. I'm sure in the past she has just left them bagged in a pile out the front where the council leave them before collecting them up.

I realise this begs the question why didn't I just wait and grab the bags before the council took them, but I didn't sweep up the bits of plastic and all the ones covered in bird poo.

[Nicos]

Yey!!..well done you!

Exciting isn't it????

( who would have thought that bags of leaves would excite me so much!!)
..even someone else's bags!!!

[bario1]

The ones with bird poo on make the best leaf mould.

[dilettante]

Thanks, Nicos. I had to get my brother to do it with me so I wouldn't feel like a weirdo. I actually ended up seeing pretty much every neighbour from the houses I swept outside, so now I feel like I've set a precedent. I'll be able to go out there on my own next time.

Bario, I did wonder if that might be the case, but I'm OK with my decision for now. I already had to handle a dead mouse today, so I passed on the bird poop. Strange day.

I'm thinking I might go over the leaves with the lawn mower, to condense them down, and I've read somewhere that will help it decompose faster, which makes sense.

[Nicos]

Yep...good call

[Stan79]

I just saw one of my neighbours across the road sweeping leaves as well. She usually, as far as I remember, only does outside her house and up and down a bit, but today she's on our side of the street. Maybe she just thinks I did a crappy job - which I did, because I wasn't cleaning the streets, just bagging the easy ones - but maybe she wants leaves too? I'm going to have to watch and see what she does with them all now. I'm sure in the past she has just left them bagged in a pile out the front where the council leave them before collecting them up.

I realise this begs the question why didn't I just wait and grab the bags before the council took them, but I didn't sweep up the bits of plastic and all the ones covered in bird poo.

Or you could go and speak to your neighbour?
And offer to sweep them up together?

[BUFFS]

my daughter swept all the leaves in her new back garden into 4 of those cubic yard sand bags and the bags just sit there for nearly 3yrs now and I cant get through to them that this stuff is magic, they just want to dump them down the council tip and as they are over 300mls away, i cant use it..

[NatalieCooke]

Do I need to keep the leaves wet in the bag?

[dilettante]

Do I need to keep the leaves wet in the bag?

From everything I've read you wet them a bit when you put them in, then wrap them up and leave them to it. If you're keeping them outside, especially over the winter, they won't be wanting for moisture.

my daughter swept all the leaves in her new back garden into 4 of those cubic yard sand bags and the bags just sit there for nearly 3yrs now and I cant get through to them that this stuff is magic, they just want to dump them down the council tip and as they are over 300mls away, i cant use it..

How frustrating! But I guess even if you could collect them by the time you did so it wouldn't be worth the effort or cost.

Or you could go and speak to your neighbour?
And offer to sweep them up together?

She's doesn't really talk to anyone here, as far as I know. Any other neighbour, and I'd have done it. Never mind. I saw today she left the leaves bagged up next to a tree, like I expected.

[janzbro]

Im off to the cemetry next week to get as many bags as possible that will fit in the car.

Ive got 4 new 8x4 beds planned and want to try lasagna layering
or
could I just dig leaves, grass clippings, sawdust, veg waste , etc directly into the soil, cover with newspapers and cardboard and allow it all to rot down over winter (would that work?)

[Lisasbolt]

There are quite a few trees down near the beach so when i go on friday i will come back with a car full of leaves and seaweed. At least the boys will be cushioned in the back
Is it a little sad that i am making a day out of picking up leaves. (don´t answer me the OH is already rolling his eyes )

[Bigmallly]

He can hold the bags open while you fill them, or even better still you hold the bags while he fills them...............

[the beadle]

Never seems to happen in that London, I went there once, no bugger would talk to me, and I'm not THAT weird.

Or you could go and speak to your neighbour?
And offer to sweep them up together?

[Scoot]

I've gt 7 r 8 bin liners packed full of leaves just sat around the back of my growhouse.

Can you add the leaf mould to the compost you plan on growing tomato's in? AS that is where most of it will be going in a couple of years.

[Penellype]

I've gt 7 r 8 bin liners packed full of leaves just sat around the back of my growhouse.

Can you add the leaf mould to the compost you plan on growing tomato's in? AS that is where most of it will be going in a couple of years.

You can, but remember that leaf mould contains very few nutrients and tomatoes are greedy feeders, so you will need to make sure you feed them too.